123 national geographic • month 2012
To uncover the barge, which they named Arles-
Rhône 3, archaeologists had to excavate a Roman
trash dump that was itself a rich trove. Amphorae
(right) made up the bulk of it, but there were other
relics of daily life: a ceramic pitcher in the shape of
a dog; an iron sword; a bone-handled knife; and the
decorative tip of a hairpin, also carved from bone.
MuSÉE DÉPARTEMENTAl ARlES ANTIquE (All ABOVE): PITChER, 10 INChES lONG; SwORD, 19 IN; kNIFE, 5.3 IN; hAIRPIN, 1.5 IN
TEDDy SEGuIN AND lIONEl ROux (RIGhT)
working in water rarely this clear—“we were groping
around in a labyrinth,” says archaeologist Sabrina
Marlier—divers brought up thousands of clay jars known
as amphorae. This Spanish one carried fish sauce.